Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) Stake Cut by Stock Yards Bank & Trust Co.

Stock Yards Bank & Trust Co. lessened its holdings in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 0.9% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 6,907 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after selling 61 shares during the quarter. Stock Yards Bank & Trust Co.’s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $1,119,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in AMAT. Global Wealth Management Investment Advisory Inc. grew its position in Applied Materials by 76.9% during the third quarter. Global Wealth Management Investment Advisory Inc. now owns 230 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. BluePath Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Applied Materials during the 3rd quarter valued at $39,000. MCF Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 333.8% in the third quarter. MCF Advisors LLC now owns 295 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $41,000 after acquiring an additional 227 shares during the last quarter. Tompkins Financial Corp purchased a new stake in shares of Applied Materials during the fourth quarter worth $49,000. Finally, Highlander Capital Management LLC boosted its position in Applied Materials by 60.0% during the fourth quarter. Highlander Capital Management LLC now owns 320 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $52,000 after purchasing an additional 120 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.56% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on AMAT. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on Applied Materials from $142.00 to $190.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, February 12th. Raymond James increased their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $180.00 to $225.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, February 16th. UBS Group lifted their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $185.00 to $235.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 5th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft initiated coverage on shares of Applied Materials in a research report on Thursday, April 11th. They set a “hold” rating and a $225.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Bank Of America (Bofa) boosted their price target on Applied Materials from $170.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 18th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and twenty have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $201.50.

Applied Materials Price Performance

Shares of AMAT stock opened at $193.24 on Wednesday. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 12 month low of $109.15 and a 12 month high of $214.91. The company has a market capitalization of $160.56 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.73, a P/E/G ratio of 2.84 and a beta of 1.59. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $202.94 and a two-hundred day moving average of $170.76. The company has a current ratio of 2.71, a quick ratio of 1.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 15th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.13 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.90 by $0.23. The firm had revenue of $6.71 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.48 billion. Applied Materials had a return on equity of 43.56% and a net margin of 27.03%. Applied Materials’s quarterly revenue was down .4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business earned $2.03 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts expect that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 8.04 EPS for the current year.

Applied Materials Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 13th. Investors of record on Thursday, May 23rd will be paid a $0.40 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, May 22nd. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.83%. This is a boost from Applied Materials’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.32. Applied Materials’s payout ratio is presently 15.06%.

Applied Materials Profile

Applied Materials, Inc engages in the provision of manufacturing equipment, services, and software to the semiconductor, display, and related industries. The company operates through three segments: Semiconductor Systems, Applied Global Services, and Display and Adjacent Markets. The Semiconductor Systems segment develops, manufactures, and sells various manufacturing equipment that is used to fabricate semiconductor chips or integrated circuits.